


School Leavers

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online, Starshine Legacy
Genre: F/F, Unrequited Love, warning for language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-17
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2019-04-01 11:59:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13997862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Lisa and Anne go out to a tapas bar to celebrate the fact that they're finally leaving school.





	School Leavers

**Author's Note:**

> I may have screwed up the timeline a little but the timeline is weird in SSO anyway so it works!

As the bell for the final lunchtime rang at Jorvik City High, four girls approached the usual lunchtime spot in their usual manner- Alex claiming the seat by sprawling across it, then quickly moving her feet and dusting the bench off so that Anne could sit, Lisa sitting against a tree stump with her earbuds still blaring music even though one still hung out of her ear, and Linda sitting down with a book beside her just in case things got boring. Meaning, if Anne and Alex started making out and forgot that there were other people sitting there with them.

“So, how does it feel to finally be out of your final class?” asked Alex, slinging an arm around her girlfriend and pressing a kiss to her cheek. Anne blushed and giggled, which Lisa pretended not to notice.

“I do have other classes after lunch,” said Anne, tapping a teasing finger to Alex’s nose. “But it feels amazing, to finally have all of that over and done with. No more going to class for hours a day, I can now spend all my time with my beloved Concorde.”

“Yeah, I guess university isn’t for everyone,” said Linda with a shrug. 

“Well, not everyone likes to spend all their spare time leafing through university reading material,” said Anne. “You don’t finish school for another two years, at least, unless you stay back, and you’re already thinking about university? Nerd.” Her tone was loving, though.

“Hey, I’m not going to abandon my studies for anything,” said Linda.

“Yeah, not even if the world is literally about to end,” said Lisa. Linda smirked.

“Yeah, that was a wild weekend, wasn’t it?” said Linda. “Finish my assignments and the tasks Mrs Graham gave me, train for the show jumping competition, save Jorvik, and win the show jumping competition, all in one weekend.”

“How do you do it?” said Lisa. “I get tired just getting up in the morning sometimes.”

“Well, you did it,” said Linda. “We all did, in fact.” Anne sniffed.

“Yes, but I told them exactly what I thought of them,” said Anne. Lisa laughed.

“Yeah, kicking them through the portal was a pretty big ‘fuck you’ to Dark Core,” said Lisa. “That was amazing, Anne.”

“Thank you,” said Anne, fluffing up her hair, which Alex immediately began to twirl through her fingers. Anne gave her girlfriend a fond smile, and Alex pressed a kiss to her lips.

“And what about you, Lisa?” asked Linda, noticing the brief flicker of jealousy that crossed Lisa’s face. “What are your plans after high school?”

“Well, my band has been doing pretty great,” said Lisa, referring to the band that she’d made while she’d studied at Star Academy. “We’re all finishing school now, too, which is great. So, we’re going on tour.”

“Really?” asked Linda, grinning. “That’s amazing, Lisa!”

“Thanks,” said Lisa, blushing under Linda’s praise. “We’re leaving tonight, I spent all week packing and preparing.”

“You’re not going to have your first show in Jorvik City?” asked Linda, frowning slightly. Lisa shook her head.

“Nah, this other guy from Star Academy, Raptor, booked out the mall for years,” said Lisa. “I dunno how he did it, but he did it. Bit of a pain in the ass.”

“Well, I’m sure that Leonardo would love to have you again,” said Anne. “Why don’t we go out tonight and ask him?”

“I’d love to but I’ve gotta work,” said Alex, pulling a face. “I wouldn’t but it’s near Christmas and we desperately need the money.”

“I understand,” said Anne, putting her hand over Alex’s.

“I do too,” said Lisa. “Family comes first, and we can always call or Skype each other.”

“Well, I could always dip out too,” said Linda. “There are always assignments to do, and reading waits for no woman.”

“Are you sure?” asked Lisa. “It won’t be the same without you, Lin.”

“Yes, I’m sure,” said Linda, nodding. “We’ll just go out for milkshakes after school and then tonight, you can go out for school leaving drinks together.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” said Lisa. “What do you think, Anne?”

“Hmm?” Anne hummed thoughtfully, removing her lips from Alex’s for the moment. “Yes, celebratory drinks, that sounds wonderful.”

“There’s a great new tapas bar I’ve been wanting to try,” said Lisa. “Do you maybe wanna go to it?” Her heart thumped painfully in her chest, and she hoped that she wouldn’t start blushing. She was asking a friend out for drinks, not asking her crush out on a date. Besides, said crush was currently dating one of her best friends.

“Oh, yes, that sounds rather exotic,” said Anne with a grin that made Lisa’s heart leap in her chest. “Let’s go, it will be our first taste of the wider world.”

“Great,” said Lisa, grinning, her eyes lighting up.

As the final bell rang, Lisa and Anne were among the celebrating students either lingering behind for one last look at the school or booking it straight for the school gates. Lisa was one of the latter, while Anne stopped for a moment to look back at the school.

“Jorvik City High,” said Anne with a happy sigh. “You taught me so much, and gave me the building blocks to become what I am today. And I thank you.” She rested her hand on the base of the stone stair railing for just a moment, closing her eyes, before she headed for the gates and didn’t look back.

As earlier planned, the group of four met up at Leonardo’s ice cream parlour, catching the bus to Governor’s Fall and all getting off together before Alex ran off to find them a table.

“Hello, ladies, what can I get you?” said Leonardo himself, walking over to their table. Anne turned and gave him a winning smile before they all stated their order.

“And one more thing,” said Anne before Leonardo left. “What do you say to Lisa performing here? She is about to set off on a world tour with her band, but sadly, she could not secure a venue in order to perform in Jorvik. The mall has been pre-booked for years by someone else, and I know that Jorvik would sorely miss out if she could not perform here.” Lisa looked at Anne with awe, feeling a great wave of love crash over her. Even if it was so inappropriate, she couldn’t help the way she felt. The way she wanted to just lunge across the table, take Anne’s face in her hands, and kiss her until she couldn’t breathe anymore.

“But of course,” said Leonardo. “It would be an honour to have her perform here.”

“Thank you,” said Lisa, grinning at both Anne and Leonardo. “I can’t perform right now, not on such short notice, but I’ll definitely come back here after the tour.”

“Great! Then I look forward to seeing and hearing it,” said Leonardo with a wide grin, and he walked off to prepare their orders. Lisa grinned at Anne again, and felt the skin on her palms tingle as Anne smiled warmly back at her.

The ice cream was delicious, as always, and Lisa greatly enjoyed the feeling of spending her last days on Jorvik (for now) with her friends. Anne had fun too, feeding ice cream to her girlfriend and giggling as Alex dabbed ice cream onto Anne’s nose. Even if Lisa had to restrain herself from leaning across the table to kiss or lick the ice cream off of Anne’s nose, the way Alex was now doing.

But the best part of Lisa’s day came later, when Anne met her at the tapas bar, dressed in blue jeans and a white shirt and red jacket and oh god, why was she so hot?

“I’ve heard good things about this place,” said Anne as she stood in front of the tapas bar, looking at the sign and then inside. “Shall we go in?”

“Yeah, sure,” said Lisa, grinning to hide her nerves. Anne walked up to the bar, ordered them a table, and then followed the waiter, who led them to a rather private booth in front of a steaming-hot plate that the food would be cooked on in front of them. They were also given a glass of sake each, and Lisa hoped that she wouldn’t get drunk and do something regrettable. Like kiss the alcohol glistening on Anne’s lips, or bite the tongue that came out to lick the alcohol off her lips. Lisa turned her attention back to the cooking surface, glad when the white-clad chef walked over and began to prepare their meal. 

Lisa rubbed her suddenly-sweaty palms on her knees, and jolted slightly when her palm brushed Anne’s leg. Which caused their elbows to brush, and Lisa was suddenly keenly aware of how close Anne was to her. Lisa sipped at her sake, swallowing the sudden nerves. The sudden urge to kiss and pet and tell Anne how much she liked her.

But then, two small bowls were placed in front of them, and Anne held hers out, grinning. Lisa did the same, and then laughed in delight as an egg was flicked towards her, which she easily caught in her bowl. Anne caught a prawn and happily ate it, smiling at the taste, even if it was a little hot.

A little alcohol was poured onto the cooking surface after some time of catching and eating eggs and prawns and strips of beef. Lisa saw the firelight reflected in Anne’s eyes, and her heart fluttered at the sight.

“Gosh, you’re beautiful,” Lisa murmured, and blushed, quickly pouring more sake down her throat before she could say anything more embarrassing.

“Thank you,” said Anne with a smile. “You know, you don’t look as bad as you once did, either.” Lisa’s heart thudded, and she had to remind herself that Anne was happily taken.

“Thanks,” said Lisa, glancing back towards the chef. “And thanks for asking Leonardo about the performance. It, uh… meant a lot to me.”

“Anything for a friend,” said Anne with a smile. “And you deserve it, more than anyone.”

“Yeah, well, you deserve whatever you’re going to set out to achieve,” said Lisa, looking back at Anne now that her face was more composed. Anne had complimented her. Anne had done her a huge favour. Anne had just made Lisa fall even more in love with her than before.

“I’m planning on entering the professional dressage circuit,” said Anne, swirling around her glass of sake for a moment before she had to hold her bowl up to catch a sliver of beef. “The adventures that we’ve just had over the past few years strengthened our bond.”

“Huh, thought nothing could dissuade you from being a model,” said Lisa. “You’ve wanted that for as long as I’ve known you.”

“Well, this did,” said Anne. “Things change. Feelings change.” She looked directly into Lisa’s eyes, and Lisa knew that she knew. Anne smirked, and Lisa knew that she was doomed. Even her smirk was cute.

“Not a great time to, uh… tell you, but,” said Lisa, and shrugged, swallowing another mouthful of sake before she caught a prawn. “Ilikeyou.” The words came out in a rush, and Lisa suddenly wished that there was more space in this booth.

“I’m sorry but my heart belongs to another,” said Anne. The words were from a movie, but Lisa knew that Anne meant them. It was just the way she was.

“I know,” said Lisa, glad that Anne hadn’t recoiled. But why would she? Anne wasn’t opposed to attention at all.

“It must have been torture for you to watch us all this time,” said Anne, catching another sliver of beef.

“I tried not to watch,” said Lisa. Distracted, she missed a prawn, which landed on her arm. Anne picked it off, holding it out to her with chopsticks. Lisa took it in her mouth, blushing fiercely. Anne smiled at her, her eyes hooded.

“Is that why you broke up with Linda?” asked Anne. Lisa looked down, and this time, thankfully, caught the egg that was flung towards her. Everything felt warm, now, probably because of the alcohol.

“It was part of it, yeah,” said Lisa. “She noticed.”

“Not the first time I’ve broken up a relationship,” Anne teased, catching an egg of her own and somehow managing to eat it daintily. There was only the smallest smear of egg on her lip, which Lisa wanted to kiss off. “But I’d never break up mine. Not for anything. Alex means everything to me. I hope that, someday, you can find someone who means the same to you.”

“Yeah, maybe,” said Lisa, shrugging.

“But in the meantime,” said Anne, raising her eyes and voice back up as she caught some chicken this time. “Here’s to our freedom from high school hell.” She grinned, and Lisa toasted her with her own bowl after catching her own bit of chicken.

At the end of the night, two vaguely-drunk young women, the world at their feet, staggered out of the tapas bar after Anne had paid for everything. Everything looked too bright and fuzzy to both of them, and Anne seemed to be glowing. Lisa had never wanted to kiss her so badly before, and, before she was aware of what she was doing, she’d stumbled closer to Anne and was standing too close to her. Anne held her hand up, but not before Lisa’s lips brushed her cheek. Lisa’s heart was hammering under Anne’s hand.

“Sorry,” said Lisa. “I guess I tripped and…”

“And your lips landed on mine,” said Anne, raising a perfectly-groomed eyebrow. “Sure, I’ve heard that before.”

“I’m sorry,” said Lisa, her cheeks burning.

“Please let your heart forget me while you’re away on your world tour,” said Anne. “Find love elsewhere. Have a fling. Explore the world and the many women of it.”

“Will you mind if I find another pretty blue-eyed, blonde-haired girl?” asked Lisa.

“If that will help you feel better,” said Anne. “Just forget your love for me. Move on. It’s better than pining after someone who will never love you.”

“I know,” said Lisa, staring at her shoes. “Thanks for being so nice about it.”

“You’re my friend, I had to be as gentle as I could while still being firm and breaking your heart,” said Anne. “Will you meet us for breakfast before you leave the country?”

“I can’t,” said Lisa, shaking her head. “My plane leaves real early, I should actually be in bed right now. But, you know what they say…”

“You can sleep on the plane,” said Anne, patting her shoulder gently. “Do you know when your plane leaves?”

“Five in the morning,” said Lisa. “Not looking forward to it.”

“Okay,” said Anne, nodding. “Goodnight, Lisa.”

“Night,” said Lisa, and headed for the bus stop, wondering why Anne hadn’t said goodbye.

As Lisa shuffled into the airport terminal in the wee hours of the next morning, yawning and rubbing her eyes, she stopped once she reached the waiting room. There, sitting in the chairs, were Linda, Alex, and Anne. Lisa gave a laugh of surprise, very much awake now, as she ran over to them and was received in a large group hug.

“What are you guys doing here?” said Lisa, grinning.

“Well, we had to see you off,” said Anne. “Wave our hankies and whatnot.”

“Thank you,” said Lisa, tears in her eyes.

The four of them sat and chatted while they waited for Lisa’s flight to be called. Despite the early hour, Lisa felt more awake than ever, a feeling of warmth and contentment filling her even as it tugged at her heartstrings. This would be the last time that’d she’d see these girls and be in the same room as them, at least until her tour was over. And she had no idea how long that would be.

“I’m gonna miss you guys so much!” Lisa sobbed as she hugged each of her friends in turn. She lingered on the hug with Anne, trembling at the thought of leaving her behind.

“We’ll miss you too,” said Linda, giving her a smile. “But you have to go and chase your dreams.”

“I know,” said Lisa, sniffling. “Look after Starshine for me, yeah?”

“I’ll give him a treat and an update on you every time I visit the stables,” said Linda.

“Me too,” said Alex, nodding along with Anne. “He’ll be so loved, he won’t even miss you. Only he will because of the special bond. But you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I do,” said Lisa, nodding through tear-filled eyes. She’d talked to Starshine at length about this trip, and he’d finally convinced her to go. “I’ll keep you guys updated on where I’m at, and we’ll keep in touch.”

“You’d better,” said Alex. “I wanna hear all about your adventures.”

“Oh, don’t worry, you will,” said Lisa with a watery laugh. “You’ll get jealous.”

But, at last, the group had to break apart as the final call was given for Lisa’s flight. After another round of hugs, Lisa left, waving at her waving friends and calling out her goodbyes until she could no longer see them. It was quiet on the plane, especially after all the noise of the terminal. But, though Lisa’s heart ached, she knew that this was for the best. She was about to head out on a grand adventure, the next chapter of her life. It was almost scary to think of, but she felt right, confident that she was doing the right thing. And maybe, just maybe, she’d get over her hopeless crush on the group’s resident diva.


End file.
